‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ mangles the game’s critique of the military
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a decidedly family-friendly film, as it should be. But once you step outside Pixar’s embrace, family-friendly American media has a bizarre habit of underestimating its audience. Obvious situations and motivations are stated point-blank, for example. In the case of adaptations, potentially challenging storylines are watered down. Case in point: Sonic 3 doesn’t know how it feels about the military.
Before Sonic 3, most of Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog films weren’t based on a specific Sonic game. After all, early Sonic games are beloved for many reasons, but gripping narrative is not one of them. However, Sonic 3 is deeply linked to 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, which served as Shadow’s big introduction to the franchise. It’s not a one-to-one adaptation, but it shares major story beats, namely Shadow’s backstory and the Eggmans’ plan to destroy and hijack the Eclipse Cannon. (In the game, though, they’re only destroying part of the moon.)
The military plays a huge role in Sonic Adventure 2—and, therefore, Sonic the Hedgehog 3. But Sonic Adventure 2 does not paint the military in a flattering light. It’s not a political game, but it certainly depicts the very U.S.A.-coded G.U.N. in a negative light. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, on the other hand, doesn’t follow all the way through. The wishy-washy way the film approaches and backs away from condemning military force is even more apparent when you know the events of Sonic Adventure 2.
Spoilers ahead for both Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
What’s in a G.U.N.
In the Sonic universe, the main military force is the Guardian Units of Nations, or G.U.N. for short. G.U.N. acts like an international military force, but it’s actually the national military for a country called the United Federation. Your initial hunch on that front is correct: the president of the United Federation lives in the White House. It’s a take on the United States, which makes G.U.N. the in-world equivalent of the American military.
That might help to explain why Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has such a bizarre relationship with G.U.N. They’re depicted as having made questionable decisions, but the films never condemn those decisions or the people who made them. Sonic and company regard the general in charge of Project Shadow—the series of experiments on Shadow the Hedgehog at a secret military base—as a good, honorable man.
The G.U.N. generals trying to stop Sonic and the Eggmans alike from getting a hold of their massive space weapon are placed in an antagonistic situation, but never fully condemned as antagonists. Once Sonic learns about Project Shadow, they say they’re unable to trust G.U.N., but that sentiment is neither affirmed nor resolved. It just floats in the air and seemingly ends in a shrug.
What’s so different about Sonic Adventure 2?
Sonic 3′s indecisiveness feels even more tepid when compared to Sonic Adventure 2. In the game, Gerald Robotnik ran Project Shadow in part because the United Federation wanted weapons research. G.U.N. was initially uninvolved but actively seized the project in a violent takeover. That takeover is when Maria dies.
Shadow’s tale has been re-told in many versions of Sonic media. Depending on the version, the specifics of Maria’s death change. But the most common version is that Maria is shot by a G.U.N. soldier as she flees with Shadow or sets him free.
In other words, a G.U.N. soldier directly kills Maria—usually by accident while acting out of fear. The version of Maria’s death that occurs in most Sonic media feels reminiscent of the huge number of tragically fatal incidents of American police violence, or the number of civilians killed in American drone strikes abroad. Compare this to Sonic 3, where a nervous soldier shoots a power source that explodes, and Maria is killed in the explosion. G.U.N.’s culpability becomes indirect.
Sonic 3 is clearly afraid to depict the event in any way that might be considered “a stance.” G.U.N.’s trigger-happy mismanagement is no longer directly responsible for Maria’s death. The switch to a more indirect source of blame matches the film’s generally tepid attitude towards G.U.N. and its refusal to condemn the organization.
It feels like a deliberate choice to prevent sections of the American populace from decrying the film as “woke.” If you know the original, the choice feels pretty dark. Can a mainstream American film, even one aimed at a younger audience, not question the ethics of a fictional equivalent of the American military? Why not? As we move into a more conservative cultural landscape, that’s a very important question.
But hey, at least Sonic 3 stays “family friendly.”
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